Oil lift



W. C. CUSHING.

OIL LIFT.

APPLICATION FILED MMI?, m2o4 ILAQQQl, Patented Jan. 3, 192i jpg?. 5.

A TTORA/EVS L CTER CU eer-ur ortica.

G5 OF TULSA, OKQIIA.

@Us LHT.

,Specification of Letters Patent.

ratentea'aan. e, ieee.

Application :tiled Tiarcli Q17, 1920. Serial No. 368,627.

To all4 whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, WILLIAM CHESTER CUSHING, a citizen of the United States and a resident-of Tulsa, in the county of and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in O11 Lifts, of which the following is a specification. 'Y

This invention relates generally to oil lifts, and more particularly to an improved automatic inlet and discharge valve for oil lifts-cf the swab type.

The primary object ofthe present invention is to provide an improved automatic valve of this character which will notonly permit the free flow of the oil from below to above the swab on the down stroke but which will also permit free liow from above to belowV the swab on the upstroke of all oil abfive exceeding the capacity of the lift while automatically cutting o vthe tlow and retaining all of the oil thereabove within the capacity of the lift.

Another object is to provide an improved valve'of this character which is adjustable to meet the various requirements of different lifts and which is of strong and durable construction, highly reliable and durable in operation, and easy to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages reside in the certain novel featuresv of vthe construction, arrangement and combination of parts and will become apparent as the description proceeds reference being had to the accompany ing drawings forming part of the specication and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of my improved valve applied, the well casing being shown in section;

Figure2 is a vertical sectional view through my improved valve, the parts being in position taken 'on the down-stroke of the swab;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in vertical section of my improved valve, showing the parts in position to discharge the oil in ex cess of the capacity of the lift;

Figure l is a detail view in top plan ofthe discharge valve;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the valve casing;

Figure 6 is a bottom casing;

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the locking plug;

plan view of the valvev Figure 8 is a side elevational view of the locking pin; and

form of discharge valve head and seat.

Referring to the drawings, the numeralv 10 designates a section of the wellcasing in which the swab indicated generally at 11 is adapted to reciprocate, the reciprocatory motion being imparted to the swab by virtue of its connection to the lower end of a string of tools 12. The swab consists as usual of upper and lower Hanges 13 and 14, respectively, and a rubber 15 disposed betweenfthe flanges. The upper flange has a hollow neck portion 16 provided with an outlet 17 and a connecting head 18. A suitable tube (not shown) extends between passage'through the swab as in the conventional construction. A collar 19 is threaded onto the lower end of this tube as in the conventional swab and to this collar 19 is secured a coupling memberv 20 which has a coacting nipple 2l adapted for threaded en-A gagement with the upper inrnally threaded end of the valve casing to be hereinafter more fully described.

The valve casing 23 is preferably of hollow cylindrical forni, and has its upper portion thickened, as at 2li', and contracted to form a neck 25 internally threaded for engagement with the nipple 21. The thickened portion 2li is machined or ground to provide' a valve seat 26. The lower end of the valveA casing 23 is internally threaded, as shown in the drawings, and receives an apertured plug 27 constituting an abutment. The plug 27 is preferably provided with a plurality of circularly arranged apertures and a large central aperture 29.V lt is thus seen that there is a passage provided aording cf itself free dow of the oil through the swab.

A discharge valve 30 cooperates with the seat 26 of the valve casing. iihis dischar valve is formed with a central opening therethrough and a depending shirt 32 formed integral with the valve and rounds this opening. ihe face ci valve adjacent this opening is i rmed with a valve seat 34e'. A coil spring 33, preferably of relatively heavy structure, has its lower end resting against the abutment 27 and has ""2 its upper end hearing against the under side of the valve 30. This coil spring tends to maintain the discharge valve 36 normally `Figure 9 is a detail view of a. modified the flanges and affords a,

lill

closed. The pressure operated inlet valve hub 37 and spider arms 38 preferably formed integral with the skirt 32 of the discharge Valve 30. rlhe lower end ol the valve stein is threaded to receive a head 39 preterably in the forni ot a hexagonal nut.

rllhe head 39 may be locked to the valve stem by a locking pin t0, shown in detallan lligure 8, and the abutment 27 may belloclred in adjusted position by the locking plug lil, shown iii-detail in Figure 7.

ln operation, the coil springn 33 having been set to the proper tension by adj ustnient olf the abutment 27., the abutment 27 is locked in position by the insertion ot a loclr ing plug val, as shown in Figure 9i. l`he valve casing is then secured to the swab by adjustment of the nipple 2l thereol and the swab is then lowered in the well. @n the down-stroke ci the swab the pressure oi the oil rnoves the inlet valve 3e to the position shown in Figure 2, permitting the oil to flow freely upwardly through the swab to above the same. @n the up-strolrc of the swab, il' the oil which has been admitted to above the swab exceeds the capacity oi the liit9 the degree of resistance unseats the dis charge valve 30 and perrnits tlow oiz oil past the saine to below the swab. 'lhe discharge valve remains unseated as long as the oil above the swab exceeds the capacity oi the litt. W'hen suiicient oil has passed vfrom above to below the lift to reduce the quantity above to' within the capacity of the saine, the coil spring1 33 seats the discharge valve 30 and as the inlet valve 8l: is also seated by the pressure iurther flow is prevented and the oil above the swab is lifted. lt is obvious that the great range of adjustment necessary to meet the various requirements oi different liiits may be readily attained by the adjustment of the abutment 27. Moreover, the valve casing occupies saine position practically the sani-e amount oi space as the checlr valve casing now use neonata and ali'ords no obstruction nor bulli likely swab. Y

lt is to be understood that by the term oil in this specification is included all ot the fluids that are to be found and contended with in oil wells, such as water, gas, etc., as well as the hydrocarbons on oil proper.

rlhe head of the discharge valve 30 and its seat 26 may be constructed in the :torni shown in Figure 9, the teature et the constinction residing .in the ball snrtace.

l claim:

ln an oil lift oi the character described, the combination with a swab having a passage therethrough, ol a cylindrical valve casing having its ends open and communieating one with the swab passage and the other t0 below the swab7 said valve casing having a thickened portion at its upper end and provided with a valve seat, an 'annular discharge valve oi a diameter less than the internal diameter et said casing cooperating with said valve seat and having an opening therethrough, said discharge valve being provided on upper side and around said opening with a valve seat and having; a cylindrical shirt co-azrial with the cylindrical casing; depending :troni around the lower side ol opening7 a pressure operated dish valve cooperating with the valve seat oi said annular valve having a depending;l extending axially oi the shirt ol' the discharge valve, guiding means for said disl: valve including an apertured hub receiving the stesi and spider arms integral with shirt, and a coil spring disposed in the cylindrical casini,n adjacent the inner wall thereol3 and embracing the shirt oi the discharge valve to be conhned between the shirt and the casing1 and bearing against the under side @it the discharge valve to thereby urge said discharge valve to its seat and con strain said discharge valve to substantially rectilinear rnovernent and said sprinpgq to proper field et action, all as and for the pun poses set forth. 

